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Lillo BrancatoAmerican actor
Date of Birth: 30.08.1976
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Lillo Brancato
Lillo Brancato Jr. was born on August 30, 1976, in Bogota, Colombia. At the age of four months, he was adopted and raised by his Italian-American parents, Lillo Sr. and Domenica, in Yonkers, New York. Despite his Colombian roots, Brancato considered himself Italian, saying, "I consider myself Italian. I grew up eating pasta..."
Acting Career
Brancato caught the attention of Jon Bon Jovi while he was simply swimming at the beach. Bon Jovi found an uncanny resemblance to actor Robert De Niro in him. Moreover, Brancato was a big fan of De Niro himself, which may have influenced the renowned actor's decision to cast him as his son in the crime drama "A Bronx Tale." Brancato also appeared in several episodes of the second season of the television series "The Sopranos" as the young gangster Matt Bevilaqua, who was ultimately killed.
He had small roles in films like "Crimson Tide" (1995) with Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman, and "Renaissance Man" (1994) alongside Danny DeVito, Gregory Hines, and Mark Wahlberg. In 2001, he was part of the ensemble cast of the crime drama "Mary" alongside Drea de Matteo.
Brancato also took part in movies such as "The Florentine" (1999), "Blue Moon," "Cafe Society," and "Fade to Black" (all in 2000), "R-Xmas," "The Crew," and "HRT" (all in 2001), "Pluto Nash" (2002) with Eddie Murphy, and "Deuces Wild" (2002).
His last roles were in the drama "Downtown: A Street Tale" (2004), the romance film "Slingshot" (2005), the comedy "Searching for Bobby D" (2005), and the fantasy film "Saturday Morning."
Legal Troubles
On June 10, 2005, Brancato was arrested by the Yonkers Police Department in New York and charged with a crime - unlawful possession of narcotics. According to published reports, he was pulled over by the police. Initially, the police found an expired registration and no paperwork confirming ownership of the car. When Brancato gave permission to look at what he had in his cigarette pack, heroin was found.
On December 10, 2005, Brancato was arrested by the New York Police Department in the Bronx on suspicion of the murder of police officer Daniel Enchautegui. Enchautegui resisted Brancato and his accomplice, 48-year-old Steven Armento, after hearing glass breaking in an empty house (3119 Arnow Place). The police officer was seriously injured and died in the hospital. Brancato and Armento, both critically wounded from the shootout with the arriving police, were also taken to the hospital - and both survived.
Armento, the father of Brancato's girlfriend Stephanie, was brought to trial for intentional murder, and his guilt was proven on October 30, 2008. The killer was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, while Brancato received probation, which began on November 17, 2008.
